Actor Michael Shannon seems attracted to unsavory, complicated roles. From uptight Prohibition officers to greedy businessmen to comic book supervillains, Shannon is known for portraying evildoers and antagonists. Shannon's filmography, of course, proves the actor capable of all kinds of performances – dramatic, comedic, and horrific included.
That being said, some of Shannon's most iconic roles are villainous, nefarious characters who exist in both realistic and supernatural worlds. Why does Shannon play so many bad guys? It's likely due to the actor's intimidating physical demeanor, intense gaze, and fervent acting abilities. Whether it's a cold-blooded hitman for the mob or a smug army officer, Shannon highlights the worst in people (and aliens) through these roles.
Col. Richard Strickland In The Shape Of Water (2017)
Shannon's character Col. Richard Strickland is pure evil in Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy The Shape of Water. Sally Hawkins plays a mute maid, Elisa, who works at a secret government facility during the Cold War, a facility where an amphibious male humanoid is being held hostage.
Col. Strickland is in charge of protecting the Amphibian Man, deemed "the asset" by the government, and he enjoys torturing the poor creature in order to keep it in line. Elisa, though, develops a romantic bond with the Amphibian Man and plots an escape for her new love – one difficult to pull off under Col. Strickland's watch.
Nelson Van Alden In Boardwalk Empire (2010 - 2014)
Nelson Van Alden undergoes a strange journey over Boardwalk Empire's five-season run. Shannon's character begins as an obsessive, straight-laced Prohibition Agent with some serious religious hangups.
After getting into his own legal trouble, Van Alden flees, assuming the identity George Mueller and becoming a bootlegger. Ultimately, Van Alden (like many other characters in the period drama) is a self-serving, egotistical man who only cares about his own safety and security.
Walt Thrombey In Knives Out (2019)
Shannon is hilarious in Rian Johnson's comedic whodunit. Shannon's character Walt is one of Harlan Thrombey's children, an 85-year-old mystery author played by Christopher Plummer who mysteriously dies during his birthday celebration.
Walt hopes to inherit his father's publishing empire, and he toes the line between sympathetic son and greedy villain. As Walt and his sibling bicker for their father's fortune, a tale of classism, xenophobia, and power unfolds around them in Knives Out.
Richard Young In The Harvest (2013)
The Harvest is a nuanced, emotional horror film about two parents who don't handle their son's chronic illness very well. Shannon co-stars alongside Samantha Morton as Richard and Dr. Catherine Young, whose son Andy suffers from liver failure.
The couple deal with the trauma by kidnapping a young boy and keeping him in their basement. They plan to harvest the poor boy's organs in order to save their son's life.
Captain John Beatty In Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
Shannon plays the ultimate dystopian villain in this HBO film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic novel. As Captain John Beatty, Shannon enforces the rules created by the authoritarian Ministry.
Under the Ministry, books are banned, and the censorship is imposed by literally burning books en masse. Michael B. Jordan plays the film's protagonist, Guy Montag, a book burner (called "firemen") who rebels against Captain Beatty and the Ministry.
Rick Carver In 99 Homes (2014)
99 Homes is a harrowing, fictionalized look into what happened during the 2007 to 2009 recession – focusing specifically on how the financial crash led to mass evictions as the housing market imploded.
Shannon plays Rick Carver, an opportunistic Florida businessman and real estate developer who targets homes up for foreclosure. Andrew Garfield co-stars as the owner of a home who is evicted by Carver.
Richard Kuklinski In The Iceman (2012)
Richard Kuklinski was a real-life mass murderer who killed dozens of people for the mafia in New Jersey. Shannon plays Kuklinski in The Iceman, a straightforward biopic about the hitman's life.
While orchestrating hundreds of murders, Kuklinski raised five children over two marriages. Chris Evans co-stars in the film, which examines the disparate identities of this notorious mob monster.
Matt Riley In Salt And Fire (2016)
Werner Herzog's Salt and Fire uses the ecological disaster in South America's Salar de Uyuni, or salt flats, as a backdrop to probe the role multinational corporations play in devastating the planet. Shannon co-stars with Gael Garcia Bernal and Veronica Ferres in this drama.
Shannon's character, Matt Riley, is the CEO of the company responsible for the ecological disaster. When Bernal and Ferres's characters, two UN ambassadors, arrive to investigate, Riley kidnaps them for his own protection.
Dundun In Jesus' Son (1999)
Jesus' Son is an underrated independent film based on the novella by Denis Johnson. Billy Crudup stars as FH, a heroin addict in the '60s who stumbles through life looking for his next fix.
FH meets plenty of colorful characters along the way in Alison Mclean's film, notably Shannon's Dundun. Dundun has a big temper, some serious issues with emotional stability, and a gun.
General Zod In Man Of Steel (2013)
Decades of experience playing wicked men prepared Shannon for reviving Superman's nemesis General Zod in Zach Snyder's Man of Steel. Shannon's Zod wages war against Henry Cavill's Clark Kent, traveling from Krypton to Earth with his troops.
Both Zod, a Kryptonian general, and Superman share the same superhuman powers. Shannon studied Terrence Stamp's take on Zod from the Christopher Reeves Superman movies to prepare for the role.
